The 2011 Academy Awards: Five Hollywood Front Runners with a Chance to Win an Oscar

While the 2011 Academy Awards are still months away, and nominations will not be announced until Jan 25, 2011, there is no time like the present to speculate on what actors will be walking away with one of the coveted statues. Here then is a list of front runners to consider, along with the roles that may earn them a nomination.

Natalie Portman (Best Actress)" Black Swan"

Nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for her supporting role in "Closer," Natalie Portman is a serious actress who pours everything she has into the characters she plays. For her role as ambitious ballerina Nina Sayers in "Black Swan," Portman told Entertainment Weekly that she endured workouts that lasted up to 8 hours a day. According to the actress, she even kept up her rigorous workouts throughout the filming of the comedy "Your Highness." Though the movie is set to open on December 3, Portman is already enjoying a tremendous positive buzz for her role.

Mark Wahlberg (Best Actor) "The Fighter"

Hollywood is a sucker for labors of love, and it has not hesitated to hand out Academy Awards for boxing movies, both of which bode well for actor Mark Wahlberg, especially since the actor spent four years bringing "The Fighter" to the big screen, all the while staying in shape for the role by fanatically working out for the role. Mark is quoted by Entertainment Weekly as saying he "wanted to look like a world-class boxer, not just some actor who can box pretty good." The movie which is based on the life of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Movie Trailer ) is set to open December 10.

Annette Bening (Best Actress) "The Kids are All Right"

Actress Annette Bening is no stranger to Academy Award nominations having been nominated three times in the past. Bening should easily make it four nominations with her work in "The Kids are All Right," a comedy-drama in which she plays Nic, one half of a lesbian couple (Movie Trailer). The movie which was made for a budget of only $4 million , is the type of underdog film which often does well at the Awards, which should help Bening's chances for an Oscar this year.

Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor) "The Fighter"

Those who have come to know Bale as the superhero Batman may not recognize him in the role that he plays in "The Fighter." Undergoing a tremendous weight lose to play a drug addicted former boxer in the movie, Bale shows the kind of dedication to a role that often gets rewarded by the Academy. If he does earn a nomination, it will be the first in Bale's career.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Best Actress) "Country Strong"

Sure, she is married to musician Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, but that fact did not help Paltrow with having to learn how to play the guitar to take on the role of Kelly Canter in "Country Strong. " The determined actress revealed to Entertainment Weekly that she practiced until her "hands were cramping and bleeding." The fruits of her labor should earn Paltrow a nomination, if not the actual statuette.

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